Eagle flies as Romo wins Cox tourney

It was good-natured needling from one starting NFL quarterback to another.

Tony Romo had just shot an impressive second-round 4-under-par 67 to win the Cox Celebrity Championship hosted by Drew Brees on Sunday, and when the Dallas Cowboys starter got his hand on the microphone the Saints QB was his intended target.

“It’s funny. The only thing sweeter than this is when we went down to New Orleans and handed the Saints their first loss a couple of years ago,” Romo said.

The crowd groaned around the 18th green at the Morgan Run Resort & Club.

“Just kidding,” Romo quickly added.

Brees has the Super Bowl ring he won two seasons ago, and Romo is still seeking the big prize. But on the golf course, Brees, who shot 22-over, is like a practice squad player compared to Romo, who has captured a handful of celebrity tournaments and annually attempts to qualify for the U.S. Open.

“He is a great golfer. That’s pretty well documented,” Brees said.

Romo, 31, displayed some of his golf flair Sunday. Trailing former major league pitcher Mark Mulder by three shots going into the round, Romo got under par early and then made a 15-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th. With his belly putter, he had four one-putts on the back nine en route to the 67 that gave him a total of 5-under 137.

The eagle was huge, because Romo beat former NHL player Dan Quinn, who also shot 67, by two shots. Mulder struggled to a 74 and finished solo third at 1-under.

“At the end of the day, I made some big putts at different times,” Romo said. “I held it together and then I closed pretty good with an eagle.”

The Cox tournament has been contested 13 times and only three winners were athletes active in their sport. Quarterback Trent Dilfer won the 2001 edition with a closing, course-record 62, and tight end Brian Kinchen was the ’04 champ.

Romo played in the Cox event for the first time last year and shot 6-over for two rounds. At the time, he was preparing to compete in a 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional for which he had qualified. But Romo never got to finish the sectional because weather delays put the event in conflict with the Cowboys’ practice schedule.

This year, because of the NFL lockout, Romo was free to play in the Cox again. His bid to make a U.S. Open Sectional failed a week ago when he shot 81 in a local Texas qualifier.

“Golf is still golf,” Romo said Sunday. “Some days are better than others. You just keep battling.”

This was sort of a bachelors-last-stand weekend for Romo. Next weekend he’ll marry Candice Crawford, a Dallas television reporter and former beauty pageant queen. Playing at the invitation of Romo in the Cox tournament was Chace Crawford, Candice’s younger brother and an actor best known for his role in “Gossip Girl.”

Crawford jokingly blamed the late invitation on his shaky play. He shot 95 in the first round and didn’t post a score on Sunday. But he knows how good his soon-to-be brother-in-law is.

“Tony’s a natural athlete,” Crawford said. “He’s got a good move on the ball.”

If the first line Romo laid on Brees Sunday drew some laughs, his last line was heartfelt. He earned a $25,000 check for the win and donated it back to the Brees Dream Foundation. Cox contributed $110,000 to Brees’ causes, which include Rady Children’s Hospital.

Brees got one last jab in at Romo, too.

“I told my son that he can’t normally clap for you on Sundays,” Brees said. “But he could clap for you today.”